Just 1 day left before the F1.09 is unveiled

By BMW Sauber F1 Team
January 19 2009

No stone will remain unturned in motorsport's elite class during preparations for the 2009 Formula One World Championship. The BMW Sauber F1 Team is doing everything in its power to ensure it is perfectly prepared for the curtain raiser at Melbourne's "Albert Park Circuit". In many senses, the Formula One cards are being reshuffled.

The team was the first to send two interim cars out onto the circuit at the first test session since the 2008 season reached its climax in Brazil. In the past, most changes to a Formula One racing car could usually only be spotted by the trained eye of an expert. For 2009 some of the modifications required due to rule changes are not only visible to the naked eye, but actually reach out and grab the viewer's attention.

In order to meet the requirements of the new regulations, the BMW Sauber F1.08B took to the track with a considerably narrower, higher-mounted rear wing, as well as a wider, lower-lying front wing. Together with reductions relating to the winglets and deflectors on the engine cover, this results in a considerable loss of aerodynamic downforce. In contrast, mechanical grip will increase: for the first time since 1998, the drivers will be driving on slicks rather than grooved tyres.

"Of course we lose a lot of downforce compared to the 2008 car," Robert Kubica confirmed after the first test session. "But because we are back from grooved to slick tyres, we have substantially more grip in slow corners. So with some more development I don't think there will be too big a difference between the 2009 and 2008 cars."

The drivers are gaining valuable experience with every test kilometre in the interim F1.08B. This will allow them to improve the interaction between the many new parameters, and to get the absolute maximum out of the new cars. Nick Heidfeld describes this process, using the tyres as an example: "Definitely the slick tyres provide more grip than the 2008 grooved tyres," Nick said. "On the other hand we have to start from zero by learning how the slick tyres heat up and for how many laps they deliver optimum performance."

The largest innovation to come out of the tests in Barcelona, and in Jerez mid December, is hidden under the cover of the BMW V8 engine, which from 2009 must last three race weekends: KERS, the new system for recovering brake energy. "We are gaining more and more experience with the KERS system," commented Christian Klien, test and reserve driver for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. "However, we still have a lot of work to do to fine-tune the system." This work took top priority for engineers over the past weeks. KERS has high potential, which must be understood and unlocked.

"We are on schedule with the various different developmental areas of the F1.09," was how BMW Motorsport Director, Mario Theissen, evaluated the progress made by the BMW Sauber F1 Team at the end of December. "We are now really looking forward to the roll-out of the new car. We proved last year that it is possible to make crucial improvements before the season gets underway in Melbourne. However, I am convinced that the F1.09 gives us a great basis for further development, right from the word go."